Programmed Lives – Third Stage

Chapter Twelve

As he parked the aging AE86 in his usual spot by the Fujiwara Tofu Shop, Takumi couldn't help but to notice the little lights and signs hanging from most shops and houses reminding him, once more, that it was almost Christmas.

While it was Akito's first Christmas, it was also Takumi's first Christmas without Minami. He didn't know what it was with Christmas and women that made them get totally crazy about the decorations and the presents and all the related paraphernalia.

With a pang, he remembered the previous year's when he had spent more than three hours at the tree shop so Minami could find a tree she liked. She had then spent several hours decorating it with her mother until both women were absolutely satisfied with the way the poor tree looked.

Takumi had managed to get away so he could avoid having to help them with the task. He regretted that so bitterly and he now wished he'd been involved in every single detail of that operation.

He took a deep breath and shook his head as to get rid of the memory. It had already been two months since Minami's death and he still found himself constantly haunted remembering all the moments they'd shared.

Getting inside his father's shop, thinking of how bad he'd felt when, at his almost twenty five years of age and after having been away for the best part of the previous four, he had moved back in with his father. Yet again, it had been necessary for in reality, Takumi could not have coped with living in Minami's house by himself while having to look after Akito.

For this reason, he'd decided to close down the house and, after making sure he could do so, left it there until Akito would be old enough to decide what to do with it and the rest of the patrimony Minami had left them after her death.

Takumi was resolute about the fact that, unless it became absolutely necessary, he would never touch a single yen of his late wife's money. As far as he was concerned, that money was Akito's and, when the boy would become of age, Takumi would give everything to him.

Akito would be an extraordinarily rich young man when he turned twenty but Takumi had no intentions whatsoever of letting him know until that time came along.

'Dad, I'm home,' Takumi said as he entered the small living room in his father's house.

'Akito's been fed and changed, now he's sleeping,' Bunta said, once more impressing Takumi with his abilities taking care of small babies.

'Did he give you a hard time when you fed him?' Takumi asked.

'Of course not, who do you think you're talking to?' Bunta said in his usual arrogant manner that made everyone feel like an idiot.

'Sorry, I forgot you're the best when it comes to babies,' Takumi said a tad on the sarcastic side.

'Son, I'm the best when it comes to most things.'

Takumi laughed softly before heading upstairs so he could check on his son. He had put a foot on the first step when his father's voice made him stop.

'Takumi…'

'Yes Dad?' he said without removing the foot from the step.

'Keiichi just called,' he said referring to the Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya.

'And?'

'He said Keisuke's been hired by his team, they're going to have a go at rallying.'

'And?' Takumi repeated closing his eyes and shaking his head expecting the obvious answer.

'He said if you'd like to join them.'

Takumi, slowly, walked back to the living room and said:

'Dad, I'm retired. I don't want to have anything to do with racing ever again.'

'Son, you really don't want to change your mind about this, do you?' Bunta said.

'No, and I wish you people stopped stressing me,' Takumi said frowning.

'Fine, I get it. I'll tell Keiichi that you're not interested,' Bunta said.

'Thanks,' Takumi said and, as he returned to the stairs, he heard his father get up to get the phone.

They sure were persistent! Takumi thought bitterly. He was alright the way he was now: taking care of his son, helping his father with the shop and seeing his friends every now and then. That was more than enough for him.

After all the pressure from being part of a team, first with Project D, then in his short-lived professional racer career, going back to the solitude and familiarity of Mt Akina's downhill at four o'clock in the morning had been a very welcome change.

Right now, Takumi didn't want any pressure at all. He was having more than enough coping with his wife's death and trying to learn as fast as possible how to be a good father. The rest, he just didn't want to even think about it and, since he had made more than enough money for him to get by for quite a few years, he didn't even need to think about getting himself a proper job.

So, looking after Akito and doing the deliveries were the only two things he really wanted to do.

The next day, as they had agreed, Takumi went to pick Itsuki up so they could share a drink by the lake.

'How've you been?' Itsuki asked him as soon as he got onboard the AE86.

'Not too bad. Akito keeps me busy enough for me to have less time to think,' Takumi said honestly.

'I see…look, Takumi, I need to tell you something,' Itsuki said with the tone of voice of someone who's about to start a difficult topic of conversation.

'Uh-huh?' Takumi said.

'Well, the guys didn't know whether it was a good idea or not but…'

'Itsuki, if it has anything to do with racing, forget it,' Takumi said and Itsuki shook his head.

'No, no…it's just that Kenji has…well, Sayuki-chan has…'

'Itsuki, what is it already?' Takumi said beginning to lose his patience which, by the way, these days was at a historically low level.

'Kenji and Sayuki-chan have decided to get married,' Itsuki finally said.

'Ah, alright. Congratulations,' Takumi said with a flat tone.

'You don't mind? I mean, they're prepared to postpone the whole thing until the spring,' Itsuki said.

'Why? Kenji's been waiting forever for Sayuki to say yes. He should marry her before she changes her mind again,' Takumi said raising his eyebrows.

'Yeah, I know, it's just that…' Itsuki said and as Takumi finally understood his friend's point, the familiar painful cold feeling returned to somewhere inside his chest.

'This has nothing to do with Minami. They should just do whatever they want to do. I'm…I'll be…I don't care what they do,' Takumi finally said.

Itsuki flinched at the coldness of his friend's voice but, reminding himself that he had to be very understanding with his best friend, Itsuki just let it go.

'How is it going with Mariko?' Takumi asked all of the sudden.

'Er…well, I guess…' Itsuki replied, shocked to hear Takumi express any interest in his newly reborn relationship with the model, 'she's thinking of quitting her modelling career…'

'Why is that?' Takumi asked.

'Well, after the trouble she had with Maybelline for, well…you know…leaving New York for the funeral without their permission, she's thinking that the whole industry can go to hell.'

Takumi smirked for he knew that Mariko was a terribly strong woman who could easily do this kind of things without thinking twice.

'What's she gonna do?' Takumi asked.

'She's got a half idea of opening her own shop where she'd sell accessories, you know, things like handbags, earrings and the likes…'

'That's expensive,' Takumi commented.

'She's got loads of money so she can afford it,' Itsuki commented with a hint of jealousy in his voice.

'Your business is doing well, isn't it?' Takumi asked.

'Yeah, it is. Iketani, Kenji and I are very happy with it,' Itsuki said and his friend spent the rest of the time talking about the difficulties they had encountered when they had first opened their workshop…

Takumi was more than willing to listen for, while he listened to his best friend's ramblings, his mind stopped thinking of a beautiful, lovely girl with an angel's voice.

He got home after a few hours and went straight to his room where he had his son's cradle.

'Hey little guy, how are you?' he asked as the baby opened his eyes, 'let's go downstairs so we can get you something to eat, alright?'

Takumi, holding his son the way his father had instructed him to do so, went down the stairs and into the kitchen where he found his father preparing their lunch.

'Did he cry while I was gone?' Takumi asked.

'Nope, he's a good baby, not like you,' Bunta said busying himself with a couple of carrots.

Takumi was about to look for a good reply to his father's remark when they heard the door's bell.

'I'll get it,' Takumi said walking towards the house's entrance with Akito still in his arms.

'Hey,' Keisuke said as Takumi opened the door, 'he's grown so much…' the spiky haired man commented.

'He's a baby, that's pretty much all the do,' Takumi countered.

'Yeah, I guess so,' Keisuke said refusing to be taken aback by Takumi's dry tone, 'how have you been?'

'Usual,' Takumi said.

'Can I?' Keisuke asked pointing at the inside of the shop.

'Yeah, of course,' Takumi said stepping aside so his former team mate could come in.

'Have you heard?' Keisuke asked even before they made it to the living room.

'Yeah, congratulations,' Takumi said.

'What about you? Are you sure…'

'Keisuke, look, I won't say this again: I'm not going to go back. I'm fine the way I am.'

'That's not true,' Keisuke said frowning.

'Are you calling me a liar? That'd be a first,' Takumi said starting to feel annoyed.

'No, sorry…but you can't be alright like this,' he said looking around himself at the tofu shop.

'Why not?' Takumi said defensively.

'Because you don't belong in here Takumi! You belong behind the wheel of a racing car going as fast as you can, and you know it goddammit!'

'That was before.'

'Takumi, Minami's dead and we're all horribly sorry about that, believe me, but…'

'Keisuke, don't,' Takumi warned him.

'Takumi! For pity's sake! You're throwing away your life!' Keisuke finally exploded and Akito, hearing the man's roar, made a face as if he wanted to start crying. This upset Takumi even more.

'It's my life and I'll throw it away if I want to.'

'You've got way too much talent to waste it like that!' Keisuke continued, completely ignoring every single warning Takumi had issued so far. This last sentence though, had awakened a memory in Takumi: of the day he and Minami first met. She had complained about the pressure she felt because of her talent and Takumi had told her that just because she was talented at doing something, it didn't mean she had to do it.

Remembering his first conversation with the woman who'd become the mother of the very baby he was now holding, their baby, made Takumi lose his patience and, grabbing the front of Keisuke's shirt with his only free hand, he screamed:

'I'M NOT COMING BACK, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?'

Hearing his father shouting did it for little Akito and, as he started crying, Bunta stepped out of the living room to join the two young men inside his shop.

'What's going on in here?'

'Fujiwara-san! You need to speak to your son! You must…'

'Nope, I don't need to do anything. My son's made a decision and I'm going to respect it,' Bunta said crossing his arms on his chest as Takumi released Keisuke from his grasp.

'Fujiwara-san!' Keisuke said pleadingly.

Bunta limited to shake his head while Takumi tried to get his son to calm down.

'You're running away Takumi! You are!' Keisuke said shaking with fury, then, making the worst mistake of his life, he turned to Bunta Fujiwara and said, 'and you, you're letting him do it because you couldn't get over your own wife's death so you don't want Takumi to do it either!'

Bunta's eyes, for the first time in a long while, widened with the shock of hearing those words. He then squinted again and with an icy tone of voice, he said:

'Get out of my house, now.'

Keisuke brought his hand to his mouth finally realising what he had said.

'I'm…'

'Out! And don't come back here ever again!' Bunta said, sounding the angriest Takumi had ever heard him.

Keisuke, seeing that there was nothing else he could say, looked at the still crying Akito and, frowning, he shook his head as he turned round to the shop's front door.

As he climbed into his FD, he started getting afraid of the reaction his brother would have when he'd hear about this, even more so because Ryosuke had repeatedly asked him not to contact Takumi until the young man would do it himself.

Driving back to his home in Maebashi, Keisuke couldn't help but to think that it would take ages before he could see his ex team-mate again.

To be continued…